Reliance drops ISD call rates on calling cards, can’t compete with Bharti-Airtel

It took almost few months for Reliance Infocomm to introduce international calling cards. ISD rates on calling cards are upto half the normal rates. For instance, Bharti-Airtel offers VCC – Virtual Calling Card and the rates can be as low as Rs3.50/Minute to US/Canada/Malaysia/Hong Kong/Singapore Mobile & Land Phone on a calling card of Rs500 denomination. A same call would cost Rs3.99 & Rs3.75 on a lower card denomination of Rs100 and Rs200 respectively. However, for Europe, Australia and New Zeland the rates are Rs3.50 and Rs8.95 for Land Phone and Mobile respectively. Unfortunately, it is till expensive to call the Middle East and SAARC nations – flat rate of rs8.95/Minute ir-respective of the calling card.

Reliance Communications woke up today to offer reduced rates. A call to US, Canada and South East Asia would now cost Rs 4.50 a minute on purchasing a global calling card of denomination Rs 575 at least which has a talktime of Rs 512 and is valid for 90 days. While the same call would cost Rs6.0 on global cards of lower denominations such as Rs 115 and Rs 225. Similarly, calls to landlines and mobile phones in the UK, would cost Rs six and eight respectively for all denominations of global calling cards. A call to Europe, Australia and New Zealand would cost between Rs 6 and Rs 6.50 depending upon the denomination of the calling card. For a call to the Gulf countries, the tariffs are Rs eight per minute for high end calling cards while Rs 8.50 for lower denomination cards.